I remember, senior year, reading an article in the Daily Prince and, after vomiting from its Princeyness, shaking my head at the unsurprisingly shortsighted conclusion reached by the author, whose name was Brandon something-or-other. In the piece, he talked about how he longed for a return to “traditional” American mores, a move back to the way things were in the 1950s. And as silly as his piece was, he is hardly the only person to express this view. There's an entire goddamn magazine devoted to “The Good Old Days.” Seriously.

I've been asked, for fun, a few times, where/when I would travel to if I could go back in time someplace. And while I think it would be cool to see MLK speak or meet Shakespeare or something, I have to remember the fact that going back to any time before today would mean things were worse for people like me.

“Who do you mean, Justin? Black people?”

Yes, sure, but not just that. Anyone who isn't white, straight, well-off and male (and you could toss Christian in there as well) has had a rougher go of it in the West than those who fit the bill, so to speak.

With the title of this piece I do not mean to imply that all is now rosy for those who have historically been oppressed. The kind of folks who were in charge in 1810 still make up the majority of our political bodies, our C-suite executives, our academia, most positions of power and influence. And folks tend to act in their own interests.

But even though there may have been something romantic about a “simpler” time with less technology and over-planning, I still think it's the future that we really should be longing for. This young fella has the right idea. (Skip to the last paragraph to get my point.)

Now let's try not to destroy the planet, and then we can prove me right.

Peace and love,
Justin PBG